Thursday, January 29, 2009

I had some leftover Taco Meat mixture from my taco salad and I used it to make a batch of "bites" you know my little crustless quiches.

They were lunch with little green salad today (they are great with soup too) but these (and the 47 other versions I've made... well not quite 47 but pretty damn close) would be a GREAT appetizer for Super Bowl Sunday. You can crank out a ton in no time flat. Just be sure to call them "bites" versus crustless quiches for the manliness factor ;)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

I heart taco salads. They remind me of my college years. The cafeteria had killer taco salads. I was Student Body President and my office was right next door to the cafeteria (convenient, eh?) The word would get out it was taco salad day and we'd all hightail it over for one. Here is the way I eat them now minus the rice and almost 400 calorie deep fried tortilla trough err I mean shell.

This is an especially good meal for families as it's super economical and kid-friendly.

Cook till warmed through about 5 minutes. Serve on salad greens with any of the optional toppings. Makes plenty for 4 salads but if you don't use all the meat mixture GOOD 'cause I have a GREAT use for the leftovers I will post manana. Super yummy!

Highlights of the Day:

* Got paid a little more than I thought I would for a job I did last week. Woot. So I'm going to treat myself to a haircut and pedicure this week sometime. Gotta have pink girly girl toes. I figure I'll add the rest to my Bux card. I get to work from Bux most days because of their free wifi. My addiction: Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Lattes with no whipped cream and no foam. Can't give up all my vices.

* Speaking of addictions. Here's another... I am currently obsessing on these. I mix a little of the 2 flavors. Yum. Here's an online source if you can't find the little suckers in your area. A few satisfies my crunch fix. I keep a little snack size baggie in my purse.

* Right now. Full from a breakfast cooking experiment. Soooo good. I will post later this week. Smelling my coffee perking. Mmmm. Listening to tunes. IMing with my pal Sarah. We are two single girls so we can commiserate. I have a ton of crap to do today though so I better get my ass in gear. In the words of the Duckman... "I'm off like a dirty shirt."

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

To celebrate Chinese New Year yesterday I made this yummy soup for dinner. As I was forming the meatballs I thought... here's a Sicilian girl making Chinese meatballs. It was a kumbaya moment of global togetherness.

Lesson learned: We are more alike than different.

You know I'll bet most of the problems of the world could be solved if we would just have a potluck.

Hear that, Barack? I have a degree in Political Science, I like to cook and I'm looking for a job. I could be your Secretary of Potlucks. You've got the power dude. Make it happen.

Split up and wash the bok choy. Set aside. Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 1 minute. Beat egg. Add egg and soaked breadcrumbs to ground pork. Combine the ground pork all other ingredients (except 2 Tablespoons of the soy sauce and the chicken broth)

Form the ground pork into meatballs. I use an ice cream scoop to keep them fairly uniform.

Brown meatballs on all sides. Heat the chicken broth and the remaining 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce to boiling. Add the meatballs and bok choy.

* Yesterday was fun. The work was even fun. Although I am country music'd out. Gail loves her twang. The weather didn't really cooperate for an outdoor beach picnic but I got a great parking spot with an ocean view and ate my bean salad and turkey roll-ups watching the waves crash. Perfect.

The other article was The 20 Worst Foods in America. As a pre-op I remember eating of few of these. Soooo scary. Thankfully I can't imagine touching one of them now.

* Cleaning out the junk drawer I scored. I found an unused $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate from last year. So I'm gonna go treat myself to something. Then the lab is open. I'm experimenting with a Chinese dish to celebrate Chinese New Year (the Year of the Ox) Gung Hay Fat Choy! by the way. So if it's blogworthy I'll post it later for ya. If not, I won't. LOL.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I could eat salads like this everyday. I love to make a batch and store it in the fridge for a quick and easy lunch or snack. The great thing about bean salads are they get even better the next day when the ingredients get a chance to love on one another for awhile.

* I'm excited. My Mum and I are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon. I have never been and have always wanted to... probably ever since the Brady Bunch episode when Bobby and Cindy smuggle the Native American boy baked beans in their flashlight.

* Part work day, part fun day. The way life should be. I have a job to do today that is taking me near the ocean so I'm packing this lunch and going to eat it staring at the crashing waves of the blue Pacific. I'm packing lunch today in these because the super cool bento box I ordered hasn't arrived yet.

* Right now. Getting ready to start my day. Listening to tunes. Sipping a cup of coffee with a splash of Sugar Free Irish Cream Torani Syrup because it's National Irish Coffee Day and I am a complete goober that must celebrate all wacky holidays. It was a little too early (even for me) for Whiskey. Maybe later. So this was as close as I could do.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The night before the Farmer's Market I always go through my veggie bin to do a little clean out and take stock of what I have. A lonely eggplant needed some love so I decided to make a big batch of roasted veggies.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss eggplant, onion and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in oven for 50 minutes, turning once or twice halfway through cooking time. Set aside to cool. They last several days in the fridge or you can freeze them.

Divide into 8 equal mounds. Form into mini meatloaves or if you have this super groovy pan like me use it. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. These freeze well either cooked or uncooked.

Highlights of the Day:

* The house smells amazing when you roast veggies. It's one of my favorite smells. I'm a Sicilian girl so I like when the house smells of garlic and tomato sauce too. Yeah most people like a room to smell like flowers I like it to smell like a bubbling pot of marinara.

* When the rest of the world wakes up I have big plans for the day. Should be a fun yet $ productive weekend. A nice balance.

* Right now. Rocking out to 80's music. Sipping on a cup of English Toffee Cocoa.

Yep, there is booze in this dessert but it's 2 T's worth of alcohol for 2 desserts so I doubt anyone will be catching a buzz but you know some Dr's say NO to booze so as always be sure you follow your medical posse's advice.

You can serve the Chickpea Patties for breakfast like I did as is. For lunch on a bed of Mixed Greens or for dinner as a side to BBQ'd Kabobs. For parties pre-op (former bread eating life) I used to place one in a mini pita pocket with some greens and a dollop of Greek Sauce.

These are straight out of my childhood. They are Sicilian (panelle di ceci) and are a popular street food (sandwiched in bread) in Palermo near where my family is from. They are similar to Falafel so if you like those you will like these. Sicilian cuisine is highly influenced by Persian, Spanish and Greek cuisine as a result of a long history of invasions.

*FYI: Almond meal and flour are both just ground up almonds. Almond flour is most often made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made either with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is like corn meal. I mostly make my own by whizzing raw almonds (skin on) in my mini food processor but this time I had a bag of Almond Meal and used that.

Whiz all ingredients together in a mini food processor. Great sauce for Chickpea Patties, Kabobs, Veggies.

Highlights of the Day:

* So that's 1 can of beans down and 31 cans to go ;)

* I've been looking for a pink scarf forever and I found one just like a blue one I own and love and it was on clearance. Woot.

* Helping out with a catering gig this weekend that will bring me to the beach but won't take up the whole day so I see a beach walk and picnic with my Mum in my future. That makes me glow with happiness. Planning the menu. Mmmm I'm thinking my Italian Bean Salad. YES! another can.

Listening to: "Circus" Britney Spears I like this song. Go Britney getting your life back on track.

Perfect served with sauteed Spinach, Green Beans, or Zucchini. Non-ops could add fettuccine or rice but seriously you do not miss it with a side of veggies. This fish would be a yummy choice in the soft phase. It's got great moisture keeping everything going in the right direction if you know what I'm saying ;)

Highlights of the Day:

* Up at 3 AM this morning I took advantage and organized my pantry. What? Doesn't everyone do that at 3 AM?! LOL seriously though I've been wanting to make a separate shelf for my Sugar Free Syrups. I pulled them all out on the counter first. Think I have enough of them?

* The Inauguration. Very exciting. I have to say I'm not really feeling the Inaugural Luncheon Menu though. It starts nicely. First course: a seafood stew. Yummy. Then it goes to hell. Second course: a bunch of dead birds in a cherry sauce. My guess Dick Cheney hunted them. If I were Barack or Michelle (loving that the first lady and I have the same name) I'd have some cool secret service dude hooking me up with some DC take-out on the sly. Come on show some love to the new leader of the free world... get the man a burrito.

* Made a Valentine's Day (aka Single's Awareness Day) seasonal table display. It's like a little Love Shrine. LOL I should look up some spells ;) I do have witch shoes or soooo I've been told. Yeah after the Christmas stuff came down the house looked so bare. I needed a little festivity back... even if it is celebrating my least favorite holiday. It looks super cool in the dark. Wanna see?

Monday, January 19, 2009

Chocolate and Mint. I can't get enough of the combo lately and it's been awhile since I made a 5 minute cake. I heart them when I need a quick sweet fix. Cake in 5 minutes you can't beat that?!

If you haven't made one of these... it's like a weight loss surgery friendly Easy Bake Oven cake. Kids think it's magic. So if you have children or grandchildren making one of these cakes with them is a MUST DO.

Nuke in microwave on full power for 2 minutes* adding 20 seconds if still wet on top. *Microwaves vary and mine is getting old so I just recently upped the time these cook to 2 minutes and 20 seconds on mine. Let the cake sit for three or so minutes (it pulls away from the sides) before tipping it onto a plate. Yields 4-5 slices. You can serve it warm or I love these cakes when they cool I think they taste even more chocolatey.

* Took my Mum to a Mexican Bar/Restaurant down the street to watch the Steelers game. Really nice crowd. We had a blast drinking Hefeweizen and eating fajitas and killer refried beans. I ran into our awesome fix-it guy from my old school. Who just kept saying things like, "Oh my God, you look beautiful" and "what an amazing change" which made me feel great especially since I wasn't feeling too beautiful or amazing lately. It was a fun night and the Steelers won so I know my pal Erin will be partying.

* Ohhh I've been meaning to mention... for those of you that have been looking unsuccessfully for Max Protein Powder (the only protein powder I use well besides Click Espresso Protein) the company is now selling it on their website.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Soups are warm, comforting, cozy and all those things we associate with love. Cradling a bowl of steaming soup in my hands is like a big hug. Feeling a little down this week I needed a bowlful of love.

They say not to seek comfort in food but I say hell I'll find comfort where I can. I just try and make wise choices. A beautiful bowl of vitamin packed soup that is good for my body, mind and soul versus a bag of Doritos. 'Cause there's no love in a bag of Doritos. You know what I'm saying.

Puree using this groovy gadget or transfer in batches to a blender and puree. Serve with a snowfall of parmesan cheese. Made 4 huge bowls.

This soup is super creamy yet contains no cream or milk so it's great for lactose intolerant weight loss surgery post-ops.

Just a reminder: January is National Soup Month.

Here's some moreEggface favorite soups. Hey and soup is also very affordable and we can all use that after the expenses of the holidays.

Highlights of the day:

* Went to the cheapy theater with my Mum yesterday to see "Four Christmases." Super cute. Vince Vaughn (yum) and Reese Witherspoon. Someone I know said ;) LOL that "it wasn't that good" but I really enjoyed it. Mum did too and the popcorn with no butter.

* Got an unexpected $50 in the mail from a rebate thing I sent off months ago. I love when things I forget like that show up.

* Football game this afternoon. You know I have to say I'm kind of getting into it. I used to have a Jane Austen Chick Flick Fest on Super Bowl Sunday in protest of all the testosterone but I'm having second thoughts. This year I may just join the boys in the fun... then go watch Pride and Prejudice.

Friday, January 16, 2009

I heart these little suckers. I didn't at first but seriously they grow on you. Crunchy and nutty. A few satisfies my nut/salty snack mix cravings with less fat and carbs. A good thing too is 12 or so and my jaw is aching and less is always good.

You can eat them as a snack on there own or sprinkle on a salad for a boost of lowfat protein. These are a great on-the-go snack. Toss a handful in a Ziploc baggie in your purse.

They also come in Wasabi flavor for those who like it hot. Locally I bought them at Baron's Marketplace and Sprouts. Here is an online source.

About Me

I had my guts rearranged (aka Weight Loss Surgery, RNY gastric bypass surgery June 2006) This blog is basically me rambling about my world. I also post recipes that I've adapted to make weight loss surgery friendly.
I love to cook.
I have always loved to cook. It's my creative outlet. I was scared that having weight loss surgery would put an end to my days in the kitchen but happily it did not. I actually get to be even more creative by analyzing a favorite recipe and seeing where I can make changes to make a healthier version of a pre-op favorite.